The Stones of Arkesnaron
by Bookwriter61
Summary: A Norse Story of a man that goes on a journey so that he may find love.


**The Stones of Arkesnaron**

Once there lived a small ranching family on the hillside of Savonlinna. This family had been ranching for twelve generations and was the duke's finest horse breeders. They knew all that was needed to be known about ranching but, had for a very extensive period of time been atrociously horrible at gaining life companions. It had been this way since the father of the family's sixteenth great grandfather was cursed by a conjurer for forgetting to feed the magician's finest mare two hundred years before. The conjurer, being reasonable, only made it impossible to find a companion for the first thirty-two years of each third child in the family's life. This was because the sorcerer had first found the stallion at age thirty-two. From then on each generation of the kin's third child would not find their "steed" until after the age of thirty-two.

Einarr Sceriban, son of Asbjorn Sceriban, was the third son at that time and was thirty-seven years of age. He had not yet found his soul mate and had just gotten back from the war against Sigmund and Eylimi. For an extensive period of time he had his eyes on a gorgeous young maiden by the name of Alexandra and wished to take her hand in matrimony. Though strong and exceedingly attractive, he had brains the size of an ant and ate filthier than the swine he had noshed each day. One day while Einarr was pouring the slop into the pigs' troth, Alexandra walked by. Einarr then anxiously pursued her and asked her if she would like to elope with him to Asgard, Land of Love. She unfortunately blew him off in an instant and went on with her walk. This struck him with vigor, causing him to holler and bellow with melancholy. He then knew he would be the last in the long line of Sceriban's.

Loki, the Trickster God, then came upon a great plan to prank Einarr and have a nice laugh. Anyone who knows Loki knows that all his tricks go wrong and someone always manages to get injured. Loki then took the form of Alexandra and proceeded along to The Sceriban Ranch. He then agreed to elope with Einarr to Asgard and they then married. Six months later they bore a child and called him Harthorse. Loki then became himself once again and started to guffaw at Einarr for he thought it was quite humorous. Einarr on the other hand became very furious and fell to his dusty knees to bawl at his dim-wittedness. Odin, Father of the Gods, thereafter heard of Loki's trickery and because Einarr had a baby with Loki he was from then on taken to live with the gods at the Halls of Valhalla. Harthorse then after grew up to be a very kindly half god and after much consultation with Odin he convinced the Gods to give Einarr, his father, another chance on the earth, but this time Loki was unable to come. Einarr from then on searched the world for a wife. He searched all of Finland and parts of Scandinavia, but there was no women to be found that would give him a chance, so he went to the town of Kinderad to take rest and have a little ale. At the town's ingot he came upon a powerful soothsayer and asked this man if he would tell him his fortune. The man then asked the stones for guidance and indeed told Einarr his future. The soothsayer said that if he traveled to the Land of Garson (the dead) that he would find in the tomb of Frankstarg, son of Harturg, the Stones of Arkesnaron. If he concealed these stones in his pillow and left them there he would not have trouble with finding a wife, but if these stones were stolen from the pillow he would never be loved by neither his family nor a female and he would die and enter the land of the dead with Frankstarg. Einarr, now understanding the consequences, hurried home, mounted upon his strongest mare, and road to Garson.

On the way he came upon a little old lady who had nothing but a gown upon her. It was snowing and she was unable to make a fire, so Einarr gave her his warmest and most expensive quilt. He then set up a tent for her and with a little flint he made a fire for her. On that fire he cooked her hot stew of rabbit and weasel. She then thanked him, gave him her last herb of healing, and he rode off toward Garson. At dawn he came upon a large tent with six small men staying inside. He then heard a large cough of great sickness and went into the tent to see what all the commotion was. Inside he found the six men surrounded around a young dwarf women who had a small ill babe that was on the verge of death. Einarr just then remembered the herb in his pack and gave it to the women who made a small healing potion for the infant to imbibe. The babe was revived in an instant and then the six men thanked Einarr and gave him shelter for the night as well as an amulet of protection against the dead and six gold coins, one from each of them. The next morning Einarr bid them farewell and rode on to his destination. At the gate of the lands he found a strong guard. The guard told Einarr that a payment of six gold shillings would ensure him safe passage through the land of the dead and would help to feed his poor family of twelve, so Einarr paid him and went on through the gate. Then Einarr proceeded through the mountain and was met at Frankstarg's tomb by six of the dead. Two bore crowns upon their head and carried two great swords inscribed with gold lettering while the other four held halberds and war hammers. Einarr, being an astonishing fighter, took out his sword, Hagrak, and slayed the four beasts single handedly. Then when it came to the two crown bearing ghouls he took out his strongest war hammer, called upon the lightning of Thor, son of Odin, and beat the skeletons brittle bones into dust. He then went on to bash the manacles from Frankstarg's sepulcher, but just as he did the six fiends rose up for another exchange of blows. Einarr then knew not what to do and was brutally beaten by the ghosts. When he came to his conscience he remembered the amulet, drew it up from hirsute chest, and held it up to the monsters. They were then drawn into the emerald for which was wedged into the heart of the amulet. Einarr then broke the shackles and snuck on into Frankstarg's tomb where he found hoards of gold as well as the Stones of Arkesnaron. He then ran to them, fixed them into his right pocket and rode home on his horse. When he reached his domicile he immediately went to his bedroom chambers and took out a small dagger for which he incised a small hole and wedged the stones inside the feathers of the pillow.

The next morning he went out to see if its power would work and it did indeed, to an extent. Each woman he approached fell in dire love with him, even women that were already married. This made him immensely pleased and caused him to want to wait and use this power for some amusement. Loki then decided to hinder and interrupt this opportunity for Einarr just as he did for Frankstarg. Knowing of Odin's rules Loki did not go to earth, but instead sent a group of imps to steal the rocks from Einarr's bolster. The first three nights were unsuccessful, but on the fourth the imps were able to approach the cushion. Happily they took some of their Kiract dust and sprinkled it upon the pillow. The pillow then lifted to the air and blasted into a hurricane of a thousand feathers. Just then the stones rolled to the hardwood floor and the imps took them to Loki. He cackled and laughed his face off while Einarr screamed and shed tear from the pain he started to endure in the pit of his stomach and just as the scorpions inside of him started to eat through his abdomen Odin stopped the evil deed. He knew of the entire plan and disguised himself three times to test Einarr's kindness. He was the old lady, the entire band of dwarves, and the gate guard. All three times he was in trouble and all three times Einarr saved his life. Because of Einarr's enormous heart Odin spared him. Odin knew that on this earth no woman could be great enough for Einarr's amazing compassion so Einarr was brought to Valhalla and was married to Odin's most beautiful daughter Freyja, Goddess of Love. He then became a war god and from then on lived happily forever with his new immortal wife until the day of Ragnarok, the last war, where he would have his very last conflict with Fenrir, the great demon wolf, last son of Loki and the giantess Angrboda.


End file.
